Monthly Archives: July 2019

Stage 1 Update – July 2019

As I write, the sun is shining; gifting its warmth and light to plants, animals and humans alike. Sitting on the verandah at lunchtime, the Ecovillage team is is thoroughly enjoying the temporary reprieve from winter’s rain and chill. But it’s that glorious rain that is rapidly filling our magnificent ...

Ecovillager profile: Tim Dwyer and Anne-Marie Hoyne

By Tim Dwyer and Anne-Marie Hoyne We often get asked why we’re keen to live in the Witchcliffe Ecovillage. We lived in Witchy when our children were young and still have family at Redgate and close friends in the area. We love the Capes region, but it really comes down ...

Come fly with me (July 2019)

The best way to capture the expanse and beauty of the Witchcliffe Ecovillage is from the air. The new dams are still a little milky due to the freshly cut clay but they should settle into a bright blue colour due to the white clay in the coming months. The ...

From the Editor’s Desk – July 2019

Open Day – Sunday, 3 November 2019 It is with great excitement and relief that we have finally locked in the date for our first major launch event, the Ecovillage Open Day. We have pushed out the event a month later than previously stated for operational reasons but also feel ...

LDPs and BDGs: What are they and why do we need them?

Local Development Plans (LDPs) All residential development in WA is subject to generic design controls set out in the Residential Design Codes (R-Codes). These are approved by the WA Planning Commission and administered by local government. Local Development Plans (LDPs) offer the opportunity to amend some aspects of the R-Codes ...

Garden Update – July 2019

The Witchcliffe Ecovillage horticulture team has been very busy this season preparing the demonstration organic market garden, avocado mounds, vineyard and planting out cover crops. Based on the results of our soil tests, we recently ordered and applied a number of nutrient and soil amendments to our 15 garden beds ...

An arboretum for the Ecovillage

Here in WA’s South West, June and July correspond to the local indigenous season of Makuru, sometimes referred to as ‘the season of fertility’. Despite technically being winter, there are many ways one can obtain a valuable agricultural yield here during Makuru. At the Witchcliffe Ecovillage nursery, we are developing ...

Streets & Squares

Over the last couple of months, I’ve been progressing the design works of both the streetscapes and the Village Square. The acoustic and visual earth bunds along Bussell Highway have also been shaped up and planted. The native species mix we selected will relish the winter rains and will start ...

We’re celebrating a little milestone…

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